A successful future requires a flexible, diverse, and lively intellect. The most important step in a child’s life is to choose a system of education that will help them build their future. Soroban mental arithmetic provides a unique opportunity to raise a new, creative, highly intellectual generation.

1. Mental arithmetic and Soroban. A unique method of development.

Why and how are children aged 5-6 taught at Soroban, and what are the specifics of the instruction?

We will introduce the secrets of success of this unique method.

Mental arithmetic and Soroban have created an amazing and unique method of mental calculation. By basing the new method on the achievements of modern psychology and mental arithmetic, the experts at Soroban opened up an entire wonderful world – the Soroban School of Mental Arithmetic.

Mental arithmetic helps children easily learn addition, subtraction, and other basic arithmetic operations. Children develop long-term memory, concentration, increased reaction speed, analytical and visual thinking, and independence. Mental arithmetic is what helps a child stand out among their peers. The qualities that children acquire in lessons provide them with a strong start for future successes. Specifically:

Development of both hemispheres, connecting them in paired work

School subjects develop mainly only the left hemisphere, while leaving the right (creative) one aside;

Improvement of memory and attention

Systematic lessons help the brain retain first small, and then large, mathematical operations in memory, using imagination for operations. Working with the Soroban and mental calculation enhance this effect;

Intellectual development

The development and consolidation of skills and abilities that allow for faster learning of foreign languages, remembering new information and using it when needed, finishing what has been started, and not being afraid to make independent decisions without fear of mistakes is guaranteed;

Increased academic success

The resulting interest in the learning process itself now “demands” active information processing from the child. Such children show greater interest in learning. Their brain is always active.

2. Soroban – a school for happy and successful children. What is the secret to such success?

1. In understanding the very needs of children

And they want:

• To learn about the world and all its wonderful aspects;
• To gain support from adults to feel safe;
• To see their “self” and find their place in society and family.

2. In cooperation

And it begins necessarily with a deep understanding of the characteristics of the young students’ needs, so that the necessary reference point in their own development and the world around them is chosen for them. Individual guidance for each child on the path to success.

3. In the instruction itself. And it is designed to:

• Awaken in the child an interest in quick calculation;
• Enable them to use individual skills and acquired knowledge;
• Make learning bring joy and enthusiasm;
• Strengthen the belief that the child is an independent personality.

4. In the ideal organization of instruction

Technical aspects:

• Age range (5-11 years);
• Presence of age groups;
• Low workload;
• Proprietary computer program that monitors the achievements and progress of each student.

3. Soroban for children aged 5. Key characteristics.

Soroban for children aged 5 involves key characteristics of instruction.

Because the brain of a five-year-old child enters a phase of “great explosion”, where its activity in creating working neural pathways is twice that of an adult, it is precisely mental arithmetic that stimulates the creation of such connections. It teaches the brain to follow the path of actively creating and utilizing paired connections of both brain hemispheres. But it is important not only to help create these connections but also to reinforce these skills with special exercises. And this is where mental arithmetic comes in. It has taken on the high-quality preparation of the child for school, ultimately eliminating all problems and difficulties in education, memory, social adaptation, and self-identification, in building skills and the desire to accept the school rhythm. For them, there are games, praise, rewards for achievements and for the work itself, a warm environment for communication, and valuable experience of teamwork.

4. Soroban for children aged 6. The success kit.

Soroban for children aged 6 has strengthened these directions and incorporated the following set of lessons to prepare for learning about the world at school:

• Mathematical education and quick calculation;
• Development of fine motor skills for writing;
• Improvement of motor functions for oral expression;
• Development of visual memory and auditory centers, attention for reading, listening, and language comprehension;
• Strengthening the mind for intellectual demands;
• Consistent habit of working in class, in groups, in pairs, and on homework for serious cognitive activity.

At the Soroban School, social, personal, cognitive, and volitional education for children aged 5-6 is very skillfully combined: clarity of set goals + high skill of the trainers guarantee the child’s success in school preparation and painless adaptation to schoolwork!

The world is large and diverse. As a child learns to discover this world, they strive to adapt within it. What role do mathematical skills play in this process? Is it possible to simply forget about this at first glance boring science of numbers and rules and somehow get by without it? Who will help the child unlock the secrets of mathematics and fall in love with it? How will the Soroban Mental Arithmetic courses help?
That will be the topic of our discussion.

The Soroban System

Mathematics. Is it necessary?

Mathematics is an educational subject that forms a mathematical combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities and helps develop social adaptation skills and life orientation in students. The child’s ability to navigate the world and move forward independently within it depends on their level.

So, what are the essential mathematical requirements for life?

1. A sufficiently developed level of quantitative, spatial, and temporal concepts.
2. The ability to perform arithmetic operations.
3. The ability to apply acquired knowledge and skills to solve arithmetic problems.
4. Knowledge of geometric material and its properties, sizes, and units of measurement.

These are the main mathematical conditions for children’s adaptive abilities and independence.

The answer is obvious – mathematics is absolutely necessary.

Mathematics for children

Mathematics for children is a world in which they encounter particularly difficult educational, cognitive, and psychological challenges.

Specifically:

1. With the phenomenon of mirror movements (one type of visual perception difficulty).

It manifests as errors in graphic activity:

• difficulties in writing – 12 – 21, 13 – 31, etc.;
• confusion of numbers from 12 to 19;
• disruption of the order of writing elements.

2. With the difficulties of the perception process itself: the child selects only 2-3 functions from an infinite number. Therefore, children:

• do not remember numbers from 10 to 100 when heard;
• do not understand the meaning of numbers;
• do not remember the composition of numbers 5 and 10.

3. With the transformation of the social situation in development:

• the breakdown of the “child – adult” system into “child – parents” and “child – teacher”;
• the start of education – stress;
• change in relationships: joint work, learning, communication;
• relationships with peers, working in pairs, groups.

4. With the new status of a schoolchild:

• withdrawal,
• fear of mistakes, responsibility;
• absence of friends;
• quick fatigue and irritability.

Mental arithmetic

The child does not understand mathematics. Why and how to help?
The culprits are:

• psychological characteristics of the child themselves: lack of self-confidence, dependence on the opinions of parents, relatives, and peers, fear of difficulties with something new;
• parental attitude: anger and criticism of the child for “muddling through”, “not trying”, “being stupid”, “having no talent for this science”;
• “neglect” of the problem (one misunderstanding + another = hopelessness).

How to help?

1. Do not increase tension, but reduce it.

2. Do not prepare the child to focus on failures.

3. Do not force the child to “drill”.

4. Help them understand the integrity of mathematics and become friends with it.

How to get the child out of the vicious circle?

Can parents who do not have the necessary knowledge and experience do it themselves? They need experts who know how and are able to help!

The Soroban School of Mental Arithmetic

Mental arithmetic courses at Soroban. How will they help?

Mental arithmetic courses await parents who have a strong desire to help their child overcome the problem of difficulties with mathematics but do not have sufficient knowledge, strength, time, and opportunities. Bring your child to the Soroban School for mental arithmetic courses. Experts who know how to work with children and are passionate about their work will help solve all the problems that the child cannot handle on their own, understand mathematics, and fall in love with it.

During the courses, they will create an excellent foundation for success:

• develop the ability to think abstractly,
• teach quick calculation,
• sharpen logic,
• teach to see and visualize the problem,
• develop imagination.

Mental arithmetic is a program for developing a child’s cognitive abilities.

Its goal is not quick calculation, although that is astonishing.

It is effective help in mastering mathematical knowledge, understanding the operations of addition and subtraction on the soroban abacus and then without it, understanding the composition of numbers. This method:

• connects both hemispheres of the brain in work, allowing for a faster path to the results of mathematical operations;
• develops them evenly and helps the child utilize all types of memory, precision, speed, and unconventional thinking, imagination, attention, observation;
• guarantees the first positive results in mastering skills and abilities to work with numbers within the first month.

By the end of the course, all problems with understanding mathematical concepts will disappear.

Using the soroban abacus and mental arithmetic methods, engaging the motor skills of both hands synchronizes the work of both brain hemispheres, increases the speed of information processing, and develops photographic memory, attention, and imagination.

A creative approach to solving mathematical tasks in a wild way helps develop the child’s thinking.

The child will learn to train their mind, spend time interestingly and usefully, learn to be self-confident, work towards success, not be afraid of mistakes, and find joy in work! The main thing is to learn to think quickly and become friends with mathematics!

Contents:

1. Benefits of mental calculation.
2. Brain development in children.
3. Formation of skills and abilities through mental calculation.
4. Soroban® School – school of mental calculation.

Benefits of mental calculation.

Today’s society places high demands on children’s education, especially preschool children. Scientific research confirms that mental calculation has great potential for brain development and preparing children for school education. Let’s explore why mental calculation is important and how it can contribute to academic success.

The method of mental calculation is an important tool for the development of preschool children. Let’s take a closer look at why this method is useful and how it can contribute to academic success.

1.     Brain development: Mental calculation requires active brain work. Children who regularly practice mental calculation develop memory, concentration, and visual thinking. This contributes to overall cognitive development.

2.     Formation of skills and abilities: Mental calculation helps children master mathematical concepts, relationships between numbers, and basic operations. They learn to think logically and solve problems.

Brain development in children

The brain is a neurobiological marvel that begins its development as early as the second week after conception. Let’s look at the main stages of brain development in children:

1.     Intrauterine development: Initially, sensory areas responsible for hearing and sight develop in infants. The brain actively functions even before birth, and this period is important for its formation.

2.     First years of life: Later, language skills and cognitive functions begin to develop. By age 4, all areas of the brain responsible for basic senses and motor skills are developed in children. At this time, children are able to do most basic things on their own.

3.     School age: By age 6, the part of the brain responsible for speech is actively developing. This process occurs incredibly quickly between the ages of 4 and 6. That is precisely why children aged 5-6 easily master foreign languages.

4.     Adolescence: By age 9, a child’s brain is already capable of handling complex tasks. Adolescents may experience strong emotions but cannot control them. At age 13, a child is like a bomb with a slow fuse, ready to explode at any moment.

5.     Adolescence and adulthood: The efficiency of brain function increases. Children can absorb a lot of material, learn to analyze, and draw their own conclusions. During this period, children choose an area of knowledge that interests them and focus on it.

Influence on brain development: Factors such as sleep, physical activity, and screen time affect proper brain development. Parents should consider these aspects to contribute to the harmonious development of their child.

Formation of skills and abilities through mental calculation

Mental calculation is not just manipulation of numbers, but an important tool for child development. Let’s see how it contributes to the formation of skills and abilities.

1.     Development of mathematical thinking: Mental calculation helps children master mathematical concepts such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They learn to understand relationships between numbers and solve problems.

2.     Logical thinking: During mental calculation, children learn to analyze situations logically. They develop skills in comparison, classification, and choosing the optimal solution.

3.     Concentration and attention: Mental calculation requires attention to detail and accuracy. Children learn to focus on the task and perform it without errors.

4.     Independence and self-confidence: When children can calculate quickly mentally, they become more independent. This increases their self-confidence in their own abilities.

5.     Preparation for school education: Mental calculation is a prerequisite for further study of mathematics. Children who can calculate quickly adapt better to school tasks.

Mental calculation is not just a skill, but an important element of child development. By using this method, educators can prepare young children for school education and contribute to their overall development.

Soroban® School – school of mental calculation.

The Soroban® School is a methodology of mental arithmetic that uses mental calculation to develop children. Let’s see how Soroban contributes to intellectual growth:

1.     Improvement of cognitive abilities: Mental calculation on sorobans activates both hemispheres of the brain. This contributes to the development of analytical and creative thinking.

2.     Improvement of memory and concentration: Performing arithmetic operations mentally trains children’s memory and focus.

3.     Visualization of numbers: Soroban abacuses help children visualize numbers. They understand tens, the composition of numbers, and the relationships between them.

4.     Development of self-esteem and self-confidence: Successful performance of mental calculations increases children’s self-esteem.

5.     Use in real life: Mental calculation skills are useful not only in mathematics but also in various areas of life.

Soroban is a methodology that is a tool for brain development, helping children become more competent and creative.

The Soroban® methodology uses mental calculation to develop children. Let’s see in which areas of life the skills acquired through Soroban® can be used:

1.     Teaching mathematics: Soroban helps children more easily understand numbers, relationships between them, and basic mathematical operations. This is useful not only at school but also in everyday life.

2.     Memory and concentration: Performing mental calculations trains memory and focus. This is useful when studying new material.

3.     Development of creativity and imagination: The ability to visualize numbers and their relationships develops creative thinking.

4.     Self-discipline and self-confidence: Regular training in the Soroboom app helps children gain more confidence in their abilities.

5.     Preparation for school and academic success: Skills acquired through Soroban facilitate school studies and contribute to academic success.

Conclusion: Mental calculation is an important tool for child development. By using this method, parents prepare preschoolers for school education and contribute to their overall development.

References:
Kozak, L., Lucik, T. “Characteristics of pedagogical innovations in work with preschool children.”
John Medina. “Brain Rules for Your Child”